After a maelstrom of maneuvering agendas involving the Dolphins, Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin for the last week, there was calm in South Florida on Friday.

It was, however, very likely a calm before more storms, because this mess is far from over, with more damning information and allegations certain to be revealed in the coming days and weeks.

One day after Martin’s attorney, David Cornwell, dropped a 217-word bombshell statement on national television Thursday night — alleging a “malicious physical attack’’ on Martin by a teammate, along with some vile sexual threats toward his sister from a teammate — there was no answer from Incognito, whose camp has remained quiet.

The Dolphins players were off on Friday.

Meanwhile, the NFL has begun its independent investigation on the matter, having hired Ted Wells, a senior partner in a New York law firm with experience in sports cases, to head up the investigation on possible misconduct in the Dolphins workplace. According to reports, Wells is scheduled to meet with Martin late next week in California.

With all parties involved lawyering up at a faster rate than characters in a Dick Wolf television series, the closest thing you might find to anyone benefiting from this mess are the attorneys being hired.

You also can make an argument for the two players who will replace Incognito and Martin on the Dolphins’ starting offensive line — Nate Garner for Incognito and Tyson Clabo for Martin — as beneficiaries.

Other than that, no winners will emerge from this. Only losers.

This is not going to end well for anyone involved.

Incognito, whose reputation — spotty before this unfolded — has been nuked, is far too toxic for any team to chance bringing him into its locker room, possibly leaving his NFL career.

Martin, based on the rampant support of Incognito in the Miami locker room, will never be welcomed back by the Dolphins players and will have to find another team if he wants to play again — perhaps a soft landing in Indianapolis with his former Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck, or in San Francisco with his former college coach, Jim Harbaugh.

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin, who has been the subject of reports he and his staff instructed Incognito to “toughen up’’ Martin, has to be a goner if that is found to be true.

Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, who is alleged by a report to have told Martin’s agent to instruct his client to fight with Incognito and “punch’’ him, has to be removed from his duties if that is proven to be true.

That could leave Dolphins owner Stephen Ross with little option but to napalm his entire program and start over.

In the short term, the Dolphins players, who are coming off their best win of the season with their victory over the Bengals last week, have a chance to inject themselves into the thick of the playoff picture by getting to 5-4 with a win over the 0-8 Buccaneers Monday night.

The question is whether the week’s distractions will prove to be too much for them to handle and break them, or whether this will bond the team.

One NFL source familiar with the Dolphins predicted this unrest might actually benefit the team by drawing the players closer in an us-against-world way.

“If I had to bet on it, this may galvanize this team,’’ the source told The Post. “It may bring guys closer together. There are so many factors that are trying to tear the team apart, with those guys trying to keep their focus the best they can and this might make them stronger.’’

What's Your Take?

former Football Player: When Richie Incognito says a racial slur to another teammate he should be kicked off the team and banned from the league. Insulting someone's race is a terroristic attack, and for the Dolphins teammates to stand up a...nd defend this teammate is a crime in its self. For they knew that Incognito was terrorizing him and they did nothing but stand on the sidelines. I feel ashamed to even watch them as professional football team. Furthermore for anyone to say that they do not know what is happening all they need to do is hear his rant on TMZ and hear the voicemail. That is all the evidence that anyone would need. There is no excuse for this, it is a crime for anyone to excuse his actions in anyway. Those who are trying to excuse Incognito's actions they were a part of terrorizing Martin

This story is not about PED's or drug usage, its not a story period. The culture of an NFL locker room isn't 24 hr TV such as Big Brother. It is a private fraternity and the media is open to certain privileges which they have once again over stepped. Who really cares about the sports journalists opinions in this matter? This isn't remotely close to the issue of one teams players intentionally seeking to injure another teams players for monetary rewards. This isn't an issue of endangering players careers or lives through idiotic hazing. This is one player being incredibly mentally soft and a locker room that is invested in toughening him up, his ultimate behavior proves the verdict of his lack of mental toughness. He participated in the locker room for almost 2 seasons and then suddenly decides that he wants to blow the entire franchise up. The bottom line here is a player with an ulterior motive seeking his day of fame in his own mind. He sis seeking money and some form of pseudo-intellectual pleasure in damaging the Dolphins entire franchise. He is seeking assistance from the PC police and crying wolf on many different levels including the ever present race card. The end game will be seeing this Dolphin team rally around its own locker room and winning games.

The coaching staff and the GM will not have to be fired regardless of what happened here, this is not the depth of the money for injury bounty issue. This is a locker room in-house issue and in the end both players are screwed but nothing will happen to the franchise as the owner has full control and autonomy in his hiring practices, the league even with their penchant for control over marketing etc.. will not force an owner to nuke his program. The bet here is that Incognito stands a much better chance of finding a job then does Martin. No locker room is going to open their arms up to Martin who has committed the mortal sin of "what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room" Fans and the media have no basic rights to overseeing or determining what is appropriate in an NFL locker room. The entire story is a sad tabloid commentary not ready for any level of real news or journalism. Sophomoric behavior is hardly earth shattering news, and as usual this has been well over hyped and blown up to unreasonable proportions.

The NFL and the management of the Dolphins will do anything to cover this story up. The league is at an all time high in popularity ( much of it due to gambling, fantasy leagues, etc.), and yet, it is slowly and systematically killing itself. The thugs in the league, the greed of the owners, the concussion settlement ( which was not commensurate with what the players should have gotten), the drunken fans who begin their partying at 8 AM, then get into fights, drive drunk after games and kill innocent people. All these factors will ultimately bring the league down. More and more, the league grows and so do the horror stories associated with it. I am a fan but finding it more difficult to find pleasure in watching games that take 3.5-4 hours, commercials laden programming with a few plays around the ads.. It has become unwatchable and unlikeable. I predict the NFL will cease to exist in 20 years.

@opaque/c65d04b2-4190-11e3-a1f7-000bcdcb2996 Oh I get it. If you don't want to go to strip clubs to conduct offensive line meetings, if Incognito tweets that he wants to s___ in your mouth, if he wants to do a "train" on your sister, if he rubs a club against a woman's private parts at a golf tournament, if someone on the team physically assaults you....and if you object to any of these things and act other than punching the guy out, you are incredibly soft. Hmmm, why was he starting? This kind of stuff goes way beyond "what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room". BTW, Martin didn't raise the "race card" Incognito did. Martin's raising these matters seems to you to amount to his being a "dirty snitch". Martin has rights as to what happens in the locker room as do employees in any other work environment. He first went to management but got no help. Consistently demeaning, harassing, or bullying someone is not acceptable anywhere even in 'the boys room'. I am willing to bet that Martin gets employed and Incognito does not. I also suspect that the coach and perhaps the GM get canned. And, if so, it will not be a bow to 'political correctness' but in deference to what is right.

@opaque/c65d04b2-4190-11e3-a1f7-000bcdcb2996 this is a workplace/harassment issue and falls under the auspices of labor law. Any company and industry in the US has certain laws it must adhere to, including having a code of conduct, grievance process, and the right to work in a place free of harassment. MY bet is Icognito is finished. The NFL has suffered a black eye with its poor handling of concussions and paid out a relatively small sum of 3/4 billion dollars over a period of time. Employers have an obligation to provide a safe work environment. Granted the game itself is violent. The industry tho, in its day to day operations, has a duty to provide a reasonable level of safety and respect. The racist remarks made by Icognito will not be forgotten by management- regardless of what players think/feel. This story will be fascinating to watch but I think the league, the team and player in the lockerroom will try to cover up the whole thing. Icognito sexually abused a volunteer at a Dolphin charity- the team did nothing- Icognito appears to have violated the civil rights of a black player0 the team did nothing until it became public. He's finished. I think Martin is finished too because players immature mentality will not allow him back. The lockerrom as much as people would like to belive it to be private and a sanctuary is art of the workplace; it is NOT the private place or it will not be the private place players once enjoyed.